Hello, all!
KE0LMY here!
This article was delayed a bit by all of the activities I had going on this month, so without further ado, let’s get into it!
When I was approached by the Camden County, MO Community Emergency Response Team (CC MO CERT) to speak with them about radios and communications, it was a bit of a learning curve to figure out what part of Em Comm the CERT members needed to know.
It didn’t take long to realize the average CERT member didn’t need all of the technical speak which comes with amateur radio. They needed to know more about WHAT information was important in emergencies and how to pass the messages in an efficient way.
Part of the learning curve occurred during the final disaster scenario of the Benton County, MO CERT this past September. I realized, after comparing notes with the members of the class, that there was a huge opportunity to create an Em Comm presentation which would be straight to the point and useful for the CERT members.
Below you will find the PowerPoint presentation I created. Keep in mind there is a LOT of discussion between the slides during the presentation. We also allow for at least half an hour with the radio (usually GMRS) which the team members actually use in the field. We split the group in half and send one half to a secondary location so they can experience the difficulty of speaking on the radio when they can’t watch each other key the mic. It makes for a great learning experience!
Many of the CC MO CERT members have also taken the extra step of obtaining their amateur radio licenses, so we are sure we will be assisting them further by using our “Getting Comfortable Speaking on the Radio” Training Program!
I am looking forward to the upcoming BC MO CERT March training class. The BC ARES is once again going to be teaching Em Comm and this time we will use the new presentation!
If you are curious about the BC MO CERT training class, you can find more information here.
73,
Sam Henley KE0LMY
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